Huskies showing off a new strength: depth

Even during the dark years when the Huskies were more likely to lose by three touchdowns than win a game, there were still some name players that produced.

But it’s been some time since the Huskies could be described as being deep at nearly

UW defensive tackle Cameron Elisara (99), shown here making a tackle in a 2008 game against Oklahoma, leads a deep Husky defensive line into the 2010 season. (Getty Images/Otto Greule Jr)

every position.

Such is the situation head coach Steve Sarkisian finds himself in this year. For the first time in a few seasons, UW is finding itself with legitimate competitions at certain positions. And perhaps more surprisingly, it’s not just at the tops of the depth charts.

Sarkisian and his staff are being able to discuss battles for the backups of backups with legitimate excitement.

Even at running back, a position that is without a doubt going to be anchored by Chris Polk, there are exciting possibilities. Newcomers Deontae Cooper and Jesse Callier have shown glimpses, during the first few days of practice, that the UW may have at least a few-year run of impressive running backs. Returners Johri Fogerson and Demetrius Bronson have already shown that they can make contributions come game time.

Sarkisian even implied earlier in the week that Polk’s production has been helped by the presence of the younger backs playing so well.

At wide receiver, the top three spots are locked up by Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar, and James Johnson. But the competition for the fourth spot features players that would have been top-two options just a couple of years ago, like Cody Bruns, Jordan Polk, newcomer Kevin Smith, and a former top-receiver in D’Andre Goodwin.

On the offensive line, there are seven returners who saw significant playing time last season and a slew of incoming freshman that have people talking.

The defensive line may be the position where the depth shows the most. For a couple of years, it was a spot defined by Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and the guys who were lucky enough to play beside him.

But at the start of 2010, that line is brimming with potential talent. Players like Kalani Aldrich, Talia Crichton, Cameron Elisara and Alameda Ta’amu are in their second season under defensive coordinator Nick Holt and have emerged as leaders of the line.

One of the main reasons the Huskies appear to be so deep is that the veteran players finally have some sense of continuity. In his first three years in the UW system, Aldrich played under three different defensive coordinators and said that fact made it hard for anyone to feel like a veteran.

“Half of us are vets now and half of us are rookies, so each rookie has someone to look up to and learn from,” Aldrich said. “Before, we were switching defensive coordinators and we had to learn new stuff, so the vets didn’t really know what was going on just as much as the rookies did. But, now that we’ve got the same defense, we’re able to teach the rookies faster and they’re learning faster.”

That learning process has instilled a hierarchy that was missing in the last few years from the team. Now that the Huskies do not have to rely on unproven players right out of the gate, the chances that they will mature at an appropriate rate is higher.

Competition is another department that has been helped by the presence of a deeper roster. With younger players clamoring for playing time, the starters are seemingly pushing themselves even harder.